Church News

Meetings with mountain men, Brannan

Published: Saturday, June 28, 1997

Sunday, June 27, 1847:

Even though this was the Sabbath day, the pioneer company pressed
forward under directions from Brigham Young. "The gentile companies being
close in our rear and feed scarce," wrote William Clayton, "it was
considered necessary to keep ahead of them for the benefit of our teams."
The brethren had wanted to spend the day in fasting and prayer on the third
anniversary of Joseph and Hyrum Smith being slain in Carthage, Ill. Brother
Clayton noted in his journal: "Many minds have reverted back to the scenes

in IllinoisT and it is a gratification that we have so far prospered in
our endeavors to get from under the grasp of our enemies."After 2 3/4 miles
on the trail, the brethren arrived at the ridge of the Continental Divide,
as calculated by Orson Pratt, although it was really not noticeable to the
eye. Elder Pratt calculated the altitude to be 7,085 feet above sea level
and 2781/2 miles from Fort Laramie. The pioneers reached Pacific Springs
two miles farther on. This was the first evidence of a stream flowing to
the west and was of great curiosity to the brethren.

Near Pacific Springs the pioneers encountered the famous mountain man
and guide Moses "Black" Harris. He had been in the mountain and western
country the past 25 years. He gave the pioneers a gift of six Oregon
newspapers as well as a copy of the California Star published by Church
member Samuel Brannan in Yerba Buena, Calif.

The leading brethren invited Harris to stay with them overnight and
thus had a chance to converse freely with him for several hours. He talked
at length about the country ahead, especially the Salt Lake Valley, but his
reports were discouraging. He gave a much more favorable description of
Cache Valley to the north as a more suitable place for prospective
settlement.

Monday, June 28:

After approximately six miles, the road forked. The road that continued
due west was the regular Oregon Trail. The other road veered to the
southwest and was part of what came to be known as Hastings Cut-off. This
road led to Fort Bridger, on to the Wasatch range, across Great Salt Lake
and Nevada deserts, and then through the Sierras to Northern California.
For over two decades it was the major route used by Mormons traveling to
the Salt Lake Valley. This junction became known as "The Parting of the
Ways."

The pioneers crossed the Little Sandy, then proceeded on a short
distance when toward evening they met the most famous mountain man of them
all, Jim Bridger, who was headed to Fort Laramie on business.

Brigham Young had intended to call upon the noted frontiersman upon
their arrival at Fort Bridger. Bridger said that if they made camp right
away, he would stay with them the night and answer their questions. Like
Moses Harris, Bridger gave a pessimistic report about the Great Salt Lake
Valley, but spoke more favorably of Utah Valley and other valleys to the
south. He felt that they would have a very difficult time growing grain and
thus could not sustain a large population. Brigham Young replied, "Wait a
little and we will show you."

Tuesday, June 29:

The brethren traveled until after 9 p.m. They had gone 233/4 miles and
had been on the road for 131/2 hours, both records since the company had
left Winter Quarters.

As the pioneers made camp, they noted that many men had fallen victim
to a mysterious fever that had started three days earlier. The symptoms
were first headache and then violent fever followed by delirium. Some men
blamed it on the alkali mix that they had put into their bread. The
pioneers labeled the malady "mountain fever."

Wednesday, June 30:

Several more men were sick in the morning with mountain fever. They
simply had to lie in the wagons as the company made its way forward. But
the jolting ride was terribly uncomfortable and extended the time of their
recovery.

The brethren rode on a dusty trail until 11:30 a.m. when they reached
the banks of the large Green River. It was 180 yards wide, 12 to 15 feet
deep, and was still swollen from winter runoff with a rapid current. The
only way to cross would be by raft. Immediately, those men who were well
went to work constructing two rafts.

In the early evening, Samuel Brannan, accompanied by two other men,
arrived in the camp.

Brannan had traveled from California where he and his company of Saints
from the ship Brooklyn had been living for nearly a year, waiting to learn
where the main body of Saints would locate. Under his leadership, two
Mormon settlements had been established in northern California, one in the
Bay area, and another in the San Joaquin Valley.

Thursday, July 1:

Work on the two rafts was completed in the morning. But high winds
drastically curtailed the ferrying and only 14 wagons were able to cross.

Samuel Brannan talked continually about the virtues of California. He
clearly wanted to convince Brigham Young and the Twelve to take the Saints
to California where he had already started settlements. He spoke of verdant
valleys and an excellent climate. He said that Captain John Sutter, who had
received a large land grant from the Mexican government, wished the Mormons
to come and settle near him in an area that is now Sacramento, Calif.

Friday, July 2:

The day was much more pleasant although Wilford Woodruff noted that it
was an extremely hot day and that both man and beast were much annoyed
because of the mosquitoes.

Brigham Young conducted a council meeting in the afternoon on the other
side of the river. He directed that a compilation of documents be made
describing the trail and the distances traveled. A few men would be sent
back to act as guides along the trail to those other Mormon companies that
were expected to have left Winter Quarters under the direction of Parley P.
Pratt and John Taylor.

Samuel Brannan was at the council meeting and once again pitched
northern California as the proper settling site for the Saints. Brigham
Young would have none of it, however. He didn't want a paradise that would
attract others. The Latter-day Saints would prefer to be left alone to
build their own kind of community without gentile interference.

Saturday, July 3:

By noon all the wagons, teams and supplies had been ferried across the
Green River. Rain poured down that afternoon, and the thunder spooked the
animals. There were also the ever-present mosquitoes. "These insects,"
William Clayton complained, "are more numerous here than I ever saw them
anywhere, everything was covered with them, making the teams restive in the
wagons."

The packets of papers for the companies of Saints who were to follow
were completed and then sent back with five men who were selected to act as
guides. Their leader was Phineas Young, brother to Brigham Young.

Sources: An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton,
346-52; William Clayton's Journal, 269-82; Comprehensive History of the
Church 3:198-203; Ensign to the Nations, 134-37; Manuscript History of
Brigham Young, 560-61; Orson Pratt, "Journal," Millennial Star 12 (15 May
1850): 146-47, (1 June 1850): 161; Pioneering the West, 1846 to 1878,
86-91; Wilford Woodruff's Journals 3:218-23.